Raymond Cross, a University of Montana law professor who studies American Indian rights, said the U.S. Constitution doesn't apply to tribal governments. "The reason for that is a practical one," Cross said. "Tribal governments were not part of the plan of union that formed the U.S. in 1787."

TAMA, Iowa- Meskwaki tribal officials are trying to ban a man from the tribe’s settlement near Tama because he’s not Meswkaki.

Tribal officials claim that James Ironshell, who is Rosebud Sioux, has violated a Meskwaki law that prohibits a non-Meskwaki man from sharing a settlement home with a Meswkaki woman.

Ironshell, 48, and his wife of 13 years, Eloise, who is Meskwaki, say the ban amounts to racial discrimination.

“Not only is it saddening, it’s really confusing,” Ironshell said. “This is 2008.”